For Home Health Care Schedulers ·
What you'll accomplish
By the end of this guide, you'll have Otter.ai running on your phone or computer, automatically transcribing every client intake call and generating a summary with all the key scheduling details already pulled out — no frantic note-taking, no missed access codes, no phone numbers written on sticky notes.
What you'll need
Go to otter.ai in your browser. Click Sign up free. Sign up with your Google account or email.
What you should see: You're taken to your Otter.ai home dashboard, which shows recent conversations (empty on first use).
Troubleshooting: If you don't receive a confirmation email, check your spam folder. Use a personal email if your agency email blocks external services.
On your phone, search "Otter.ai" in the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android). Download and install the app. Sign in with the same account you just created.
What you should see: The Otter.ai app opens to your conversation history (empty).
There are two ways to use Otter for calls:
Option A — Phone calls (easiest): When you're on a call, put the client on speaker and tap the red Record button in Otter on your phone. Otter captures the audio and transcribes it in real time.
Option B — Computer calls (Zoom/Teams): If you take intake calls via Zoom, Otter integrates directly. In Otter settings, click Connected Apps → connect Zoom. Otter will automatically join your scheduled Zoom calls and transcribe them.
For phone calls, Option A (speakerphone + phone recording) is the simplest starting point.
What you should see: When recording, Otter shows a live transcript appearing as the words are spoken — you can watch it fill in during the call.
Call a colleague or leave yourself a voicemail. Start recording in Otter. Talk for 1-2 minutes about a fake intake scenario: "Client is Mrs. Johnson, 78 years old, needs help Monday/Wednesday/Friday 9am to 1pm, has a dog named Max, garage code is 4521, primary contact is her daughter Susan at 555-234-5678."
Stop recording. Look at the transcript.
What you should see: An accurate transcript of what was said, with timestamps. A "Summary" button at the top.
Troubleshooting: If transcription accuracy is low, make sure you're in a quiet room. Background noise (office chatter, TV) reduces accuracy. A Bluetooth headset with a microphone improves accuracy significantly.
After an intake call, tap the Summary button (or look for the ✨ icon). Otter generates a summary of the key points from the conversation.
For even better extraction, click into the transcript and in the chat box at the bottom type:
"List the key scheduling details from this intake call: preferred schedule days and times, special care needs, access instructions, and primary family contact."
What you should see: A clean, bulleted list of everything you need to enter into your scheduling platform.
Copy the extracted details from Otter. Open your scheduling platform (AlayaCare, ClearCare, AxisCare, etc.) and paste or manually enter the information into the new client record.
The Otter transcript stays saved — you can return to it any time if you need to verify a detail.
Use these in the Otter chat after any intake recording:
List all scheduling preferences mentioned: days, times, visit frequency, and any blackout dates.
What special care needs, medical conditions, or caregiver preferences did the family mention?
List all contact information mentioned: primary contact, backup contact, and any third parties (doctor, care manager, etc.).
What access instructions were given for the home? Include door codes, key location, parking notes, or pet information.
Summarize any concerns or hesitations the family expressed that the scheduler should be aware of.